Laurel can count celebrities among its own [Old Town Laurel]

Jeff Dudley, OldTownLaurelColumn@yahoo.com 301-725-0377

Old Town folk are certainly no strangers to having the occasional celebrity in their midst. The likes of future President Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, resided on Montgomery Street, when he was an Army lieutenant stationed at Fort Meade, and she a young bride in their third year of marriage. Megadeath lead guitarist Marty Friedman is an alumnus of our storied, first-in-the-county high school, and AndrewMaynard, a fighter who won the light heavyweight Gold Medal in 1988, hails from Laurel.

Boxer Demond Nicholson, a Laurel High graduate, Class of 2011, is making a name for himself in the squared circle. The son of Wilbert Nicholson and Sherry Ogburn, this 20-year-old middleweight touts a record of five wins and no defeats. All his victories have come via knockouts.

An Olympic alternate in 2012, this rising star got his introduction to the sport via Cherry Lane Boxing and Youth Fitness and the Laurel Boys and Girls Club. Nicholson will celebrate his 21st birthday on Feb. 15. This promising, now professional competitor has two contests scheduled nearby. His next event will be on Feb. 21 at the Agriculture Center in Westminster, followed by another match on March 7 at the D.C. Armory.

His father, Wilbert Nicholson, said that the thing he is proudest of is that Demond is a good kid. Demond is the youngest of his six children. Desmod's grandmother, Mary Jones, is a Laurel native.

An email received from Helen Woods, of Laurel's trap-neuter-return program, asks for assistance in "tracking down unsterilized cat colonies." If you or someone you know is feeding feral felines, or needs help with spaying or neutering of your cat, you are asked to contact the group at 301-866-0161 as soon as possible, so they can provide assistance before kitten season. You can get more information on the organization at laureltnr.org..

Tending toward an affinity for canines, I asked feline aficionado and self-proclaimed cat lover John Floyd II for his thoughts on the group and their mission. Floyd said "Laurel TNR was instrumental in getting the city to scrap their old policy of trapping and turning cats over to [Prince George's County] Animal Control, an automatic death sentence for nearly all of them due to overcrowding, low funding and insufficient staffing. TNR is the best thing that's ever come along for outdoor kitties."

The group's motto, "Finding community solutions for community cats," sums it up best.